1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cables for use in computer systems and other electronic devices.
2. Related Art
Various kinds of input/output (I/O) cables are used to connect computing devices and peripheral devices to each other. For example, referring to FIG. 1A, a prior art I/O adaptor cable is shown which connects to a first connector 102a on a computing device and to a second connector 102b on a peripheral device. Because the connectors 102a-b may differ from each other, one purpose of the I/O adaptor cable 100a is to adapt signals from the computer connector 102a to the peripheral connector 102b. 
Referring to FIG. 1B, a first prior art port expander cable 100b is shown which breaks out signals in a multifunction connector 104a on a computing device to individual device connectors 104b-d at the ends of multiple cables 106a-c, each of which may be connected to a distinct peripheral device.
Referring to FIG. 1C, a second prior art port expander cable 100c is shown which connects at a first multifunction connector 108a on a computing device and to individual device connectors 108b-d at the ends of multiple cables 110a-c, each of which may be connected to a distinct peripheral device. A single cable 110d, which is connected to connector 108a, breaks into individual cables 110a-c. 
Referring to FIG. 1D, a third prior art port expander cable 100d is shown which connects at a first multifunction connector 112a on a computing device. Cable 114 is connected on one end to connector 112a and on the other end to a rigid multi-connector module 116. Module 116 includes connectors 118a-c, each of which may be connected to a distinct peripheral device.
Various kinds of power cables are used to connect computing devices to external power sources. When a computing device is connected both to an external power source and to a large number of peripheral devices, the number of power and I/O cables connected to the computing device can grow large. Furthermore, the total length, volume, and mass of such cables can also grow large, making the cables unwieldy to connect, manage, and transport. Computer users have long complained of the cluttered “rat's nest” of cables behind every desktop computer. The aggravation caused by such cables is exacerbated in the context of mobile computing devices, for which compactness and ease of transport is highly valued.
Designers of mobile computing devices and associated peripherals therefore face the challenge of designing cables which create minimal clutter, and which have minimal length, volume, and mass, without reducing the functionality or ease of use either of the cables or of the associated computing devices and peripherals.